


The earth must’ve given way

by sixxdaysofmylife



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Death Theories, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 21:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10907424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixxdaysofmylife/pseuds/sixxdaysofmylife
Summary: There are theories to Will's cause of death, and suicide had to be one of them.





	The earth must’ve given way

“Please tell me that’s not the kid.” It was an impossible ask, who else wore clothes like that, who else had a bowl cut like that, who else perfectly fit the description of the missing poster like that. Hopper couldn’t look anymore. That was Will Byers’ lifeless body, being lain on a floating stretcher. After almost four days of continuous searching, he had been found.

Hop almost wished he hadn’t been found now.

Hopper fell into his truck, head in hands, how the hell had this happened? How had Will Byers seemingly crashed his bike, and ended up dead in the waters of the quarry. It wasn’t an impossible distance, but not the most logical way to get to Joyce’s house, so why had the kid gone to the quarry, and why the hell was he _dead_.

It sunk in, Joyce and Jonathan were yet to know, and the kid’s friends, who although annoying to Hop, would be completely broken. And that teacher whom had raved about Will’s attitude in class. They would all have to be told, by him.

Again the question pounded at Hopper’s mind, _how the hell had this happened?_

Why had Will’s bike been left in a crashed form, why had he left it there?

_‘Bike like this is like a Cadillac to these kids. He would’ve walked it home.’_

Indeed, he would’ve. So was he hurt? Maybe he fell and hit his head, so he was disoriented and made his way over to the quarry thinking it was the right way? Maybe he didn’t know how to navigate the area? Maybe he was taking a risk? Maybe he jumped on purpose.

_On purpose._

Will would’ve known the drop would kill him, Hopper had been told that Will was a great student by his science teacher, so surely that meant that the kid would’ve known that such a height to fall would be fatal.

It was all too much to think about. Will was dead. _Will was dead._ It just didn’t sound right, he couldn’t be dead. Hopper pinched himself, this was all just a dream, right? He had been too worried about the kid, so his death had slipped into Hopper’s dream. More like nightmare.

Hop opened his eyes. It was very much so, not a dream. Callahan was coming over to Hopper in the truck.

“Hey, you alright Chief?” Cal was clearly terrible at understanding a situation, especially when it involved Hop.

“Cal, does it look like I’m alright?” Hopper half shouted and half cried.

Cal stood there unsure of what to say next, so Hopper tried to take his position as chief and ask some questions.

“Have you heard anything yet? Do they know anything about the cause of death?” Hopper had to be professional about this, _it was his fault he had become so attached to the kid_.

“No, just a few theories, no one’s quite sure. What do you think?” Cal’s voice wasn’t comforting or kind in the slightest, he always sounded so dead-pan, Hop was surprised he didn’t go crazy.

“Probably nothing anyone else had theorised, we need to go to Joyce’s house right now, I also need you to call Flo and get her to check on the kid’s records, specifically anything to do with mental health.”

“You think it, might’ve been a suicide?” Cal looked shocked at the idea, “He was twelve, Chief!”

“Look, for all we know he might’ve been chased by a pink, fluffy leprechaun.” Hopper’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, “Just call Flo, we need to make a start on this investigation of death, so medical records would be the best place to start.”

 

There’s a car in the middle of the road that Hopper instantly recognises as Jonathan’s. He wasn’t ready for this.

Hopper stopped his truck behind Jonathan’s car, he jumped out and walked over to the two Byers who were staring at Hop with fear burning in their eyes.

“Hopper? What’s going on?” Joyce’s face was pale with shock, her eyes wide and chin dripping with tears. She looked around, holding Jonathan’s hand, tight.

“Joyce, Jonathan, Will’s body had been found.” Joyce screams, burying her head into Jonathan’s chest. Jonathan is shaking, so Hopper comes over to them both and holds them. Though unprofessional, he doesn’t give a shit, these people need comfort, and Hopper wants to give them that.

“No, no, no, no.” Joyce is repeating herself over and over. “No!” She screams out, sobbing. “I was just talking to him, Hopper, he can’t be dead, he can’t be!” Joyce slides to the floor, taking a shattered Jonathan with her.

“Joyce, I think we should go to your house, the middle of the road isn’t really the best place for you to be right now.” Hopper directs her to his truck. “Be careful driving, kid.” Hopper gives a completely broken and unfit to drive, Jonathan a pat on the back and shuts his car door for him.

 

“Jonathan, I need to ask you something.” Hopper approaches the teenage boy with a blanket wrapped around himself. “Something about Will.”

“S-sure.” Jonathan’s voice cracks from the crying.

“Did Will ever suffer from depression, or show any signs of suicidal intention?” Hopper looked down, he hated asking about such personal things, especially because he had once felt these things.

“I don’t know, I mean, before Lonnie left, he was always crying and hating himself for what Lonnie called him, but I thought he had been happier recently, but then there was the bullying and oh my god-“ Jonathan burst into tears, overwhelming himself.

Hopper came over and put a comforting hand between Jonathan’s shoulder blades, the gesture was appreciated and Jonathan calmed down a bit.

“D-do you think that it was?-“Jonathan choked a little on his words, too grief-stricken to believe what he was saying, “Do you think it was suicide?”

“It’s just a theory.”


End file.
